You will see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man
Revelation 12:7-12ab
John 1:47-51
There is much more to reality that our minds are capable of grasping. In the Creed we profess that we believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth and of everything else both visible and invisible. Among the invisible realities are the angels of God. These are purely spiritual beings endowed with intellect and will. As purely spiritual creatures their intelligence is much more superior to our own. Because they live constantly in the presence of God and behold him as the supreme good, the irresistible beauty, their will is perfectly conformed to his. In the Lord's prayer we pray that "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Angels are some of the creatures that do God's will perfectly in heaven".
Their title "angel" denotes their office of messenger of God, and the greatness of the mission differentiates between the angels and archangels. Today we celebrate the three archangels mentioned in scripture due to their role in salvation history: Michael who "is like God" and who fought the battle throwing Satan out of heaven as we heard from the alternative reading of today. We celebrate Gabriel the strength of God, who was sent to announce the message of salvation to Mary. We also celebrate Raphael the healing of God, who was sent to heal the blindness of the righteous man Tobit, and who accompanied his son to choose a wife that God had intended for him. Probably besides there are many more unknown to us.
Because of the limitation of our knowledge, it is difficult for us to fully appreciate the role of the angels and archangels in our salvation. Just think even on the physical level: how often do we think of the importance of the ozone layer without which we would be exposed to dangerous and lethal radiation from the sun, or even our immune systems that protects our bodies from being overpowered by disease. So do the angels and archangels protect us from spiritual harm. We pray that we may be docile to the promptings of the angels that speak through our conscience, and that through their powerful intercession we may attain eternal life.
